Immortality begins with the Swordsman.

The next morning.

The rising sun leaped out of the clouds, dispelling the mountain mist, and the air was still somewhat cool.

Ning Zhongze had gone to the ancestral hall of the Huashan Sect with Zixiao Daoist and Gu Changfeng early on. The apprenticeship ceremony, which was supposed to be held yesterday, was postponed to today due to an unexpected "accident".

But as soon as the girl stepped into the courtyard where the ancestral hall was located, she was taken aback.

At this moment, the ancestral hall was crowded with people; looking around, there were probably seventy or eighty people, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

The girl gently tugged at Gu Changfeng's sleeve, tilted her head up, and asked, "Second Senior Brother, why are there so many people? Are all the apprenticeship ceremonies at our Huashan Sect this grand?"

Gu Changfeng smiled calmly and said, "It's alright, it's not that many. Our Qi Sect has a total of 183 people, most of whom are out working and haven't returned, otherwise it would be even more lively."

five years ago.

His apprenticeship ceremony was even more grand, with nearly three hundred people coming to witness it, including many from the Sword Sect.

However, the relationship between the two sects has deteriorated day by day, and not a single person from the Sword Sect can be seen today.

Those who came were all from the Qi Sect. Apart from an elder named "Chu Qingkuang," the rest were his fellow disciples.

"oh!"

Ning Zhongze nodded.

But she always felt that the way these people looked at her was somewhat intriguing, just like the senior brothers and sisters she met in front of the "Sword Qi Soaring to the Sky Hall" yesterday.

"Are they really here to observe the ceremony?"

She was filled with doubts.

When they saw them arrive, everyone bowed and greeted them, saying things like "Greetings, Sect Master," "This must be Junior Sister Ning?" and "Sect Master has excellent taste."

Ning Zhong could only respond with a smile.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a fair-skinned young disciple sidle up to Gu Changfeng, winking and asking, "Junior Brother Gu, is she your destined wife?"

Gu Changfeng smiled slightly, without answering, but raised an eyebrow, revealing a "you know what I mean" expression.

Ning Zhongze: "..."

She finally understood.

These people weren't there to witness the ceremony at all; they were there to watch the spectacle and enjoy the show...

Later, when she followed her master to pay respects to her uncle-master named "Chu Qingkuang," her thoughts were completely confirmed.

"Senior Brother Yue, did you specially find a little wife for Changfeng?"

"..."

Ning Zhongze felt her cheeks burning, feeling incredibly embarrassed, and wished she could disappear into the ground.

What should have been a solemn and respectful apprenticeship ceremony now felt, in her eyes, rather like an ugly daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws.

—Hmph, it's all Second Senior Brother's fault for talking nonsense.

Master Zixiao said solemnly, "Changfeng is talking nonsense and should not be taken seriously. Ze'er is still young, so please be careful with your words, junior brother."

Chu Qingkuang nodded and replied, "Yes, Senior Brother."

Master Zixiao nodded and led the girl into the ancestral hall.

The hall was solemnly decorated, with two candle flames flickering gently in the wind. White smoke rose from the ancient bronze incense burner, carrying a faint sandalwood fragrance that filled the entire ancestral hall, adding to the tranquility and solemnity.

Master Zixiao walked to the incense table and said, "Ze'er, kneel down."

Ning Zhongze obeyed, respectfully bowing and kneeling down, her robes trailing on the ground, her posture upright.

Master Zixiao immediately bowed and knelt down, saying loudly, "Disciple Yue Qingxiao, today I accept Ning Zhongze as my disciple. May the spirits of our ancestors in heaven protect Ning Zhongze, and teach her to study diligently, maintain her purity, and strictly abide by the rules of our sect."

He finished speaking.

He kowtowed three times to his ancestors.

The girl followed suit and kowtowed three times as well.

Then, Daoist Zixiao stood up, turned to look at Ning Zhongze who was prostrate on the ground, and said, "Ze'er, today you have entered my Huashan Sect. You must abide by the sect rules. If you violate them, you will be punished according to the severity of the offense. Those who commit heinous crimes will be executed without mercy..."

The girl nodded and said, "Yes, disciple will remember Master's teachings."

Master Zixiao said, "Changfeng, recite the rules of our sect. If you can teach him, he will understand."

Gu Changfeng stepped forward, his expression solemn: "Junior sister, listen carefully."

"Our sect forbids, first and foremost, betraying one's master and ancestors, and disrespecting elders. Second, it forbids bullying the weak and harming the innocent. Third, it forbids adultery and lewdness, and harassing women. Fourth, it forbids jealousy among fellow disciples, and killing one another. Fifth, it forbids abandoning righteousness for profit and stealing property. Sixth, it forbids arrogance and offending fellow practitioners. Seventh, it forbids associating with scoundrels and colluding with evil spirits."

"These are the seven precepts of the Huashan Sect. Junior Sister, have you memorized them?"

The girl nodded and said, "I will remember. Thank you for your guidance, Second Senior Brother. I will strictly follow your instructions in the future and dare not disobey."

Master Zixiao smiled and said, "Our sect is not like other sects, which have many rules and regulations. You only need to follow these seven precepts, and you will be my good disciple."

The girl said, "Yes! Your disciple understands." She then kowtowed to the Purple Cloud Taoist.

Master Zixiao's eyes showed approval. He then took the "Zixiao Sword" from his waist and handed it to the girl, saying, "This 'Zixiao Sword' is a weapon that I obtained while traveling the world. I now give it to you as a gift for becoming my disciple. I hope you will practice diligently in the future."

Ning Zhongze carefully accepted it and solemnly said, "Thank you, Master."

Gu Changfeng saw this and couldn't help but purse his lips, thinking to himself that his master was biased.

His apprenticeship gift was a Taoist scripture, and the "Azure Nether Sword" he uses now is just an ordinary longsword; he even gave it a name he made up himself...

He had been craving this "Purple Cloud Sword" for a very, very long time...

—However, if I give it to my wife, rounding it up, wouldn't that be the same as giving it to me?

Gu Changfeng thought to himself.

Immediately, he stepped forward, took out a jade bottle from his pocket, handed it to the girl, and said, "Junior sister, this bottle of 'Niuhuang Jiedu Pills' is a gift I prepared for you. It will be an invaluable medicine for your future travels in the martial world."

Ning Zhongze: "..."

Remembering that she had been drugged twice yesterday, she immediately said with a dark face, "Thank you, Second Senior Brother."

This is the end.

The apprenticeship ceremony has ended.

Seeing that the ceremony was over, everyone prepared to disperse.

But several young disciples who were close to Gu Changfeng suddenly saw him smile wickedly, a smile like that of a cunning fox. They immediately sensed something was wrong and turned to run away...

"It's too late to run now."

Before he finished speaking, Gu Changfeng had already risen into the air, his figure like a swallow darting through the forest, and suddenly landed in front of the door. He took a step to the side, sealing the door shut, like an insurmountable gatekeeper.

"Junior Brother Gu, what are you doing blocking the gate?"

"Yes, we need to go back and practice our swordsmanship."

"..."

Everyone asked, their eyes filled with doubt and dissatisfaction.

Gu Changfeng ignored them and instead beckoned to Ning Zhongze, saying, "Junior Sister, come here."

"Um?"

Ning Zhongze was taken aback, wondering what her second senior brother meant. She glanced at her master subconsciously and saw him nod slightly before walking over.

"Second Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

"Here's a perk for you..."

Gu Changfeng smiled slightly, looked up at the crowd before him, and said, "You senior brothers and sisters, aren't you going to give my junior sister a little something as a greeting gift since this is your first time meeting her?"

Ning Zhongze's face immediately darkened, and he was speechless for a moment.

The fair-skinned young disciple said, "Junior Brother Gu, we came in a hurry and didn't prepare any gifts. Next time... we'll definitely make it up to you next time..."

Gu Changfeng said calmly, "Senior Brother Chu is right. Then leave your sword with me as collateral, and come back to collect it later with the gifts you have prepared."

Ning Zhongze was dumbfounded.

Is Second Brother openly robbing her under her name?

Don't the masters and uncles care about this?

Looking up, I saw my master and my uncle named "Chu Qingkuang" sitting on a stool to the side, looking like they were enjoying the show.

"Gu Changfeng, don't be so arrogant. Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

"Hey, Chu Buxiu, you've gotten bolder since I haven't beaten you up in a few days. Come on, if you can withstand ten of my moves, I'll let you go."

Upon hearing this, the man immediately fell silent.

Sitting next to Daoist Zixiao, Chu Qingkuang, who was Chu Buxiu's father, couldn't stand it any longer and angrily said, "Are you so many of you afraid of him? Go one by one, take turns, and when his true energy is exhausted, he'll be at your mercy. What kind of hero are you, dragging your feet like this? Chu Buxiu, you go first."

Upon hearing this, Chu Buxiu immediately stepped forward like a wilted eggplant. He looked at Gu Changfeng and said, "Let's make this clear first, no slapping each other in the face. Cai Ling Shuang hasn't dared to show her face yet..."

Chu Buxiu suddenly mentioned Cai Ling Shuang. Although she was the daughter of the Sword Sect Master, she was exceptionally beautiful and cold, and countless people were captivated by her.

So everyone was waiting for Chu Buxiu's next move, but unexpectedly he suddenly abandoned all martial ethics and attacked fiercely, his figure as fast as lightning, rushing straight towards Gu Changfeng.

Upon seeing this, everyone couldn't help but curse under their breath, "Despicable!"

But Gu Changfeng was prepared. Before he even drew his sword, he struck first, knocking Chu Buxiu's sword away with a single blow, and then punched him in the face with clean and swift movements.

Chu Buxiu covered his eyes and angrily said, "You despicable scoundrel! You promised not to hit my face, but you broke your promise..."

Gu Changfeng chuckled, "I didn't agree to that. Next time before a sneak attack, don't breathe so heavily. Isn't that clearly telling me you're going to launch a sneak attack?"

Chu Buxiu snorted coldly, then obediently handed his sword to Ning Zhongze, saying, "Junior Sister Ning, I'll temporarily entrust my 'Xuanyuan Sword' to you for safekeeping. I'll come back to retrieve it later..."

Ning Zhongze was a little embarrassed and didn't know whether she should accept it or not, but Chu Buxiu forcibly stuffed it into her hands and then turned around and stood aside dejectedly.

Gu Changfeng glanced coldly around the room and said, "Next, who's next?"

……

"You haven't even mastered the basic sword techniques, why are you in such a hurry to learn the Jade Maiden Sword? Next..."

……

"Be careful not to become agitated and suffer a qi deviation. Next..."

……

Ning Zhongze then realized that her second senior brother's true intention was to use her name to instruct the other senior brothers and sisters in martial arts.

In no time at all.

All the young disciples were examined in turn, and each one was left with bruised and swollen faces, looking dejected.

Ning Zhongze, on the other hand, reaped considerable rewards.

Besides the pile of "pledged" longswords in her hand, many of her senior sisters gave her some exquisite jewelry, such as hairpins and bracelets, after they lost.

She liked it very much, but said aloud, "Second Senior Brother, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Gu Changfeng laughed and said, "It's nothing, just consider it my betrothal gift to you."

"ah?!"

Ning Zhongze's eyes widened, and her mouth gaped open...

With a loud clang!

The pile of longswords in her hand fell to the ground, their clear, clanging sound echoing in the ancestral hall for a long time.

……

……

The play is over.

Chu Qingkuang stood up, glanced around, and said, "Changfeng has only been on the mountain for five years, yet he's already able to overpower all of you. Don't you senior brothers and sisters feel ashamed? Think about it carefully. Why haven't you made any progress in your skills over all these years? Have you not worked hard enough? Look for the reasons within yourselves..."

After giving him a few words of instruction, he took his leave of the Purple Cloud Taoist.

But when they arrived at the gate, they saw that Gu Changfeng was not moving and had no intention of making way at all.

Ok?

Chu Qingkuang's gaze sharpened. "Changfeng, is there anything else?"

Gu Changfeng smiled slightly and said, "Uncle-Master Chu, all the senior brothers and sisters have given us gifts. Shouldn't you also give something in return?"

These words stunned not only Chu Qingkuang, but everyone else as well.

They stared at Gu Changfeng in disbelief, thinking he must be crazy. It was one thing for him to rob them normally, but now he even dared to rob Uncle Chu.

You should know that Uncle Chu is known as a martial arts fanatic, and his martial arts skills are among the top ten on Mount Hua.

This guy is absolutely insane.

Chu Qingkuang glanced back at Zixiao Daoist and, seeing that he didn't stop him, suddenly found it interesting. He said, "If you can withstand thirty of my moves, I'll prepare a big gift for your junior sister..."

"good!"

Gu Changfeng smiled and said to Ning Zhongze, "Junior Sister, may I borrow the Zixiao Sword for a moment?"

"oh oh……"

Ning Zhongze was so engrossed in the words "betrothal gifts" that she almost imagined the wedding ceremony.

Upon hearing Gu Changfeng's words, he immediately became excited and handed the "Purple Cloud Sword" to Gu Changfeng. Then, he and the others took a few steps back, leaving an open space for the two of them.

Gu Changfeng, holding the Zixiao Sword, said, "Uncle-Master Chu, please forgive me."

He finished speaking.

The opening move, "Welcoming Guests from the Pine Tree," is a sword move from the Huashan beginner swordsmanship. The move is sharp and fierce, like pine branches swaying in the wind, combining strength and gentleness.

Chu Qingkuang was not careless and drew his sword to meet the attack.

After exchanging a few blows, he realized Gu Changfeng's intention and immediately shouted, "You all better open your eyes and watch carefully..."

At this moment, everyone realized that what Gu Changfeng had been using all along was nothing more than the thirteen sword moves from the Huashan beginner sword technique.

However, once Gu Changfeng unleashed these thirteen sword moves, which he had already mastered to an unparalleled degree, they were like a thunderclap, with astonishing power. Every move contained a chilling force.

Chu Qingkuang intentionally fed him moves, only defending and not attacking.

that's it.

The two exchanged blows, their swords flashing.

After performing the Huashan beginner sword technique twice, just as Chu Qingkuang was about to unleash his power, Gu Changfeng suddenly retreated several steps and sheathed his sword with graceful and effortless movements.

"Thank you for your concession, Uncle Chu."

Gu Changfeng clasped his hands in thanks, his eyes full of confidence and composure.

Chu Qingkuang said, "Continue! Why did you stop?"

Gu Changfeng laughed and said, "Uncle Chu's swordsmanship is superb; I, Changfeng, am ashamed to admit my inferiority..."

Master Zixiao narrowed his eyes, staring at Gu Changfeng in front of him, puzzled.

Over the past five years, although Gu Changfeng has been exceptionally talented and his skills have progressed rapidly, he has always held back five-tenths of his strength when fighting others. Today, however, he actually used seven-tenths of his strength.

—What does he want to do?

Followed by.

Under everyone's gaze, Gu Changfeng walked step by step to his front, knelt on one knee, and said, "Master, I want to learn the 'Purple Cloud Divine Skill'."